ABOUT US
Temple of the Phoenix Rose is an eclectic Wiccan Coven located in Berks County, Pennsylvania. We follow the Rising Phoenix Tradition, emphasizing the duality of the great Goddess and God in our daily and spiritual life as we learn to live in harmony with the universe.
OUR VISION
Temple of the Phoenix Rose aims to build and enrich a vibrant community allowing self-discovery that supports our spiritual evolution through lifetimes. We seek to always live in harmony with nature, and to be a positive influence in the communities we serve.
WHAT WE DO
Our primary goals are to celebrate the duality of the Goddess and God, observe the ever turning Wheel of the Year, and to pursue personal spiritual enlightenment.
As an initiatory tradition seekers are guided through levels of initiation and degrees to reach their desired spiritual goals.
OUR COMMUNITY
The Rising Phoenix Tradition was founded in Atlanta Georgia; with covens and leadership currently residing in Georgia, Texas, Pennsylvania, England and Germany
Our
Story
Get to Know Us
Temple of the Phoenix Rose is a daughter grove of Temple of the Rising Phoenix in Atlanta Georgia. But this is not where our story begins...
Lady Emrys and Lady Aradia met in February 2006 on the first day of their Pagan classes. After years of searching these two seekers found their spiritual home as students under the Grove of Phoenix Rising within the Unicorn Tradition. Not knowing each other prior to that day in early Spring, the two became close friends and soon partners. Studying under their Priestess, Lady Magdalena, and Priest, Lord Myddin, the two seekers initiated into the Grove of Phoenix Rising and studied and served the Grove for over three years before committing themselves as Priestesses and servants of the Gods in Summer 2009. After serving their mother grove for two years they moved to Philadelphia and the initial coven began. In 2020 they moved to Berks County and reopened the coven under the name and energy of Temple of the Phoenix Rose.
Meet Us
Lady Aradia
As a young girl Lady Aradia knew she was called to a spiritual path. Her earliest memory of what she wanted to be when she grew up was a nun. You see, growing up in a Christian home, Lady Aradia's vision of what it meant to be female and called to a spiritual path was through a Judeo-Christian view point. At the age of seven and eight Lady Aradia was holding Bible classes for the neighborhood children by reading the Children's Bible series and providing loads of cookies.
Over time she became discouraged realizing her friends were only coming for the cookies. But the biggest blow was when her mother told her she couldn't be a nun because she was not Catholic.
Thinking quickly on her feet she asked what Christian women did that was similar to Catholic nuns, and her mother replied "You can become a Missionary". From that point on Lady Aradia stopped holding Bible classes in her room but she was devoted to becoming a missionary and traveling the world to preach the word of God. Attending Church on a regular basis and developing into a curious adolescent girl she often found herself questioning both the religion she practiced and what it meant to be female both in society and the spiritual path she was following. To her dismay questions were often unanswered and when answers were provided, they often spoke about women being subservient to their male counterparts. By the age of fifteen she stopped attending church and thoughts of her spiritual path were not on the forefront of her mind.
It was also during this time that Lady Aradia became more entrenched in theatre, fantasy books, literature, and feminism. By the time she attended college she majored in theatre and began exploring her sexuality both as an out lesbian and through a reawakening of her spiritual self. For the first time she met other individuals who felt lost in the Judeo-Christian faith and sought a connection to the divine feminine spirit. It was also in college that Lady Aradia met her first Wiccan and Shaman. From these meetings a small informal group of seekers decided to meet to discuss topics of interest and books that were read as a group. It was also through this group that Lady Aradia experienced her first Sabbat ritual at Imbolc, 1999. Due to the group being exclusively novices, formal teaching was not available and soon
everyone disbanded, but the experience was defining for Lady Aradia. From that point on she identified as a Solitary Witch and spent the next seven years reading publications on Wicca and Witchcraft.
After many years of reading Lady Aradia knew it was time for formal training and yearned for a community and Coven to belong to. Living in Atlanta, GA, she sought information about local covens from the community metaphysical bookstore. Lucking out the bookstore was soon hosting a meet and greet for a local coven, The Grove of Phoenix Rising. Impressed by the coven members and what the Grove could offer she applied and began classes in February 2006.
Over the next three years Lady Aradia found the answers she longed for as a child. She also found a calling to serve the God and Goddess that honored and respected the entire spectrum of male to female. During this time Lady Aradia served her coven and High Priestess as Maiden, as well as teacher, mentor and friend to fellow grove members. In August 2009 she was initiated as a Priestess in the Unicorn Tradition and continued serving her coven and Pagan community.
In 2012 Lady Aradia and the Grove of Phoenix Rising hived a new tradition: The Rising Phoenix Tradition. The Grove of Phoenix Rising became the Temple of the Rising Phoenix. Remaining faithful to her mother coven, Lady Aradia is close to her High Priest and Priestess.
Currently Lady Aradia lives in Berks County, PA with her partner Lady Emrys. Together they have started the Temple of the Phoenix Rose, a daughter coven within the Rising Phoenix Tradition.
In her personal life she is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker working as a psychotherapist in her private practice. She has a wonderful partner and two beautiful children.
Lady Emrys
Lady Emrys began seeking her spiritual path early in life, always in search of a rich and meaningful relationship with divinity. Growing up in southern Georgia pre-internet offered few options for spiritual paths, primarily various denominations of conservative-leaning protestant Christian paths. Occasional attendance at church and Sunday school left her with more questions than answers and she was unable to find the connection she sought.
She first heard of Wicca in her teens, seemingly by accident, and immediately felt called to the path. But without access to much information, it was difficult to find her way at first. A new bookstore offered a small New Age section and she became enthralled with everything offered. It was while attending the University of Georgia that she came across a Pagan student group which truly opened the door for her journey to Wicca.
For the next decade, Lady Emrys primarily studied as a solitaire, joining community rituals and learning from various teachers who happened across her path. Everything went on hold while she pursued graduate education then
launched into her new career. Soon after, 2006, she found the Grove of Phoenix Rising and entered formal studies under Lady Magdalena and Lord Myrrdin. She not only found a great community and a deeper connection to divinity, but she also learned more in her first year than she had the ten previous years! After more than three years of intensive studies she achieved third degree status. In addition to her service as a priestess to the Temple, she also served as Maiden for two years, and became one of the founding five members of the Rising Phoenix Tradition. Lady Emrys has been a member of Covenant of the Goddess and has served on local boards as well as the national board.
In her mundane life, Lady Emrys is a psychotherapist working in private practice. Her experience includes advanced and terminal illness, general mental health, forensic mental health, and ADHD. She is wife to Lady Aradia and mother to two wonderful kids and a menagerie of animals. Lady Emrys loves everything involving yarn and tending to her flower gardens, small orchard, and wily chickens.
Rising Phoenix Tradition
Lady Emrys and Lady Aradia were initiated by Lady Magdalena and Lord Myrddin, High Priestess and High Priest of The Grove of Phoenix Rising and Elders within the Phoenix Tradition. Lady Magdalena was trained and initiated by Lady Galadriel and Lord Athanor of The Unicorn Grove in 1980. Over the last forty five years Lady Magdalena initiated countless seekers including her husband and partner Lord Myrddin in 1981. Together this couple through the Grove of Phoenix Rising initiated sixteen third-degrees, nine daughter groves, two granddaughter grove, and two great-granddaughter groves, and one great-great-granddaughter grove.
Whew... after all of that these wonderful mentors and elders realized their larger calling by hiving their own tradition "The Phoenix Tradition" in 2012. As founding elders to the new tradition they continue to serve through support, love, mentoring, and eldership for all daughter groves including Temple of the Phoenix Rose. With such a great history Temple of The Phoenix Rose is proud of our tradition and lineage and welcomes new students to carry on our line.